Now halfway through Lent, we are beginning to think of Easter. The stores are way ahead of us, of course, because rather than acknowledging Lent, a time of religious and spiritual reflection, they combine Easter and spring into one commercial holiday, replete with Chinese made bunnies, egg decorations and wreaths.
During this time, however, there are other matters that occupy our minds and preoccupy our hearts, sometimes overwhelming us. The constant barrage of photos and videos from Ukraine overshadow many other concerns that we have, including warnings of a possible resurgence of Covid-related illnesses still causing death.
The chill we will experience in the weather for the next few days serves as a reminder that as much as we want, we cannot shake off the dark feelings of winter. We cannot experience spring without winter, just as we cannot experience Easter without Lent.
Prayer for the Day
Source of mercy, in whom we live and move and have our being,
Open our hearts, refresh our weariness, and bathe our wounds;
Wellspring of hope, may the fountain of love spring up among us,
Filling us with your being and grace us with your presence.
Open us to the love that casts our fear making your love evident in our lives
So we bring the world into peace through your righteousness.
In the name of him who proclaimed your kingdom,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.
- Charles Dickens, from Great Expectations (1812-1870)
POOR MARCH -- It is the HOMELIEST month of the year. Most of it is MUD, Every Imaginable Form of MUD, and what isn't MUD in March is ugly late-season SNOW falling onto the ground in filthy muddy heaps that look like PILES of DIRTY LAUNDRY.
- Vivian Swift, from When Wanderers Cease to Roam
I remember the days of old, I think about your deeds,
I meditate on the works of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Psalm 143: 5-6